Chronicles of Ancient darkness: New Dangers
by Renndude
Summary: Torak and Renn finally get a break after defeating the most powerful Soul Eater of all, Eostra. But when they find that her power isn't completely destroyed, can they face the new dangers that arise?
1. Chapter 1: Wolf's Cry

**[A/N] Hey guys. I just re-read the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, (at least the books I have) and it has given me new inspiration to write stuff. Michelle Paver really can inspire people. Too bad I only have two of her books, Ghost Hunter and Spirit Walker. The rest I borrowed, begged and even threatened to steal (well not really) and I still am trying to get my hands on Oath Breaker, which is the only book in the series I haven't read yet. So I kinda realized there might be a huge gaping hole in this story. **

**But I decided to do it anyway.**

Torak sighed happily as he walked. He has all his gear strapped onto his back with a reindeer hide pack, and the steady padding of his pack-brother and the crunching of feet from Renn relaxed him greatly.

They were tracking a roe buck, young by the looks of its tracks, and probably got chased away from the rest of its pack by a wild boar. The area was still scattered with boar scat and the countless hoof marks that went in all directions, signs of the pack fleeing. The roe buck they were hunting, though, was alone.

Wolf's ears pricked up. He gave a low yip, telling Torak prey was nearby. He signaled to Renn and she nodded once, silently readying her bow. Torak nocked his own, and together they crouched, moving forwards slowly and careful not to scare the prey away.

Torak caught sight of the foal. It was alert, eyes flicking wildly about, leg muscles tense. One mistake and they could send it running. But the young buck was scared, trembling slightly. It could make a mistake, too.

Torak saw Renn lifting the bow to her shoulder, taking aim. He copied her action, targeting the soft underbelly of the Antlered One, so the arrow could easily pierce its flesh. Renn was first to let fly, and the arrow whizzed by and embedded itself right in the foal's belly.

The prey reared, and tried to gallop away. As quick as lightning Wolf pounced, sinking his razor teeth into the foal's neck, and held on tightly. It bucked desperately, but it's strength was already fading. It slowly stopped struggling, the light fading from it's eyes.

He and Renn raced over to the fallen roe buck, and Torak pulled out his hunting knife, deftly skinning the prey. Renn helped as well, and together they sweated out the job. Torak washed the hide and left it to dry. Then, cutting off strips of meat, he handed them over to Renn to be dried and took the hooves, eyes and drained the blood into a juniper cup. He left the rest for Wolf and they Ravens, who eagerly descended on the carcass.

They had no shortage of food now, Torak thought as he and Renn sat near the river that they hunted at, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the bird song that resounded all around them. Nothing could match this happiness he had inside, like the world was perfect and there was not a care to worry about.

Like Fa never died, Oslak never died, Bale never died, and the Soul-Eaters were nonexistent. He knew it could never be true. But it was nice to forget once in a while, and just be with Renn and Wolf. Although he missed his foster father Fin-Kedinn and the rest of the Raven clan a lot, he knew this was where he belonged.

…..

Wolf gulped down the warm, delicious innards of the kill, filling his stomach. Growling softly at the Ravens who tried to approach, he continued to tear off chunks of meat as the Ravens sulked back, waiting for their turn. When the roe buck's insides were nearly empty and his full, he sat back and let the Raven have their share.

Wolf was happy that he could be with Tall tailless and the pack sister without having to miss Darkfur and the cub. They were at the new resting place nearby, the cub growing stronger every day. They had long abandoned the old den where the evil owl attacked and Wolf lost one of his precious cubs and nearly lost his mate.

His cub could eat meat now, and no longer depended on him and Darkfur to sick up food for him. Now he was learning the ways of the hunt, Darkfur having caught a weak elk and teaching him how to avoid their sharp antlers and their vulnerable places.

As Wolf padded over to the shelter, he nuzzled Tall tailless, asking him to play. When he ignored Wolf and continued staring at the female tailless, Wolf's nose wrinkled and he sensed Tall tailless had the same feeling Wolf got when he met Darkfur.

Tall tailless was _in love._

Wolf stood silent for a few moments, and got bored. He pounced on Tall tailless, licking and play biting him. He gave a surprised yip and grabbed Wolf's muzzle, and together they rolled into the Wet, Wolf barking and Tall tailless making that breathless yip and yowl.

The pack sister joined in and dived, and together they splashed and swam at each other. Wolf didn't mind the Wet as much as he would when he was a pup, after experiencing the great ancient monster that was bigger than any Wide water Wolf had ever seen and meeting the Pale pelted tailless who was Not-Breath. Wolf missed him a bit, and he sensed Tall tailless did, too.

Leaping onto the bank and shaking his dripping wet pelt, he sent droplets of water flying on both taillesses. Suddenly he lifted his nose in the air and froze. That smell. But it couldn't be. Wolf's hackles rose slightly. He, Tall tailless and pack sister had already destroyed the smell.

But now, it was back.

Wolf bounded off into the Forest, forgetting his pack, determined to track the scent.

_Demon smell._

…_._

Renn wrung out the water from her dripping wet hair. Her jerkin was wet as well, but she didn't mind in the hot weather. Letting the sun bask her in its warm rays, she dried off at the bank. Torak sat down beside her.

Torak looked relaxed and calm, something they didn't have until Eostra was defeated. But deep in her heart, buried under all her thoughts, was a suspicion that they couldn't have gotten away that easily. She didn't think much of it, but it was there all the same.

Renn looked at Torak and saw him looking at her. He quickly turned away, but she could still see the faint blush that covered his cheek. She smiled. Next winter she would be 18 summers, old enough to become a woman, and have a mate.

Quickly she stopped in her thoughts. Not so fast, Renn. But as Torak got up and began to collect some goosefoot growing along the banks, she couldn't help but think how good he looked.

Just then, she heard a howl. Wolf's howl. It was abruptly cut off halfway. Torak's hands stilled and he looked up, face ceased with worry. Renn felt the back of her neck prickle, and a coldness came over her. She instantly knew something was terribly wrong.

'What did Wolf say?' questioned Renn. Torak turned away and started packing up their gear and shouldering it on his back. 'We need to reach him,' he muttered under his breath. 'Quick!'

'What did he say?' repeated Renn once more, her eyes meeting Torak's pale grey ones ridden with worry. All of the warmth and happiness that overcame her earlier drained away as she heard his reply.

'Wolf said _help.'_

…

**Hope you enjoyed. And I have exciting news. If you bothered to read my author's note at the start of the chapter, you should remember that I said I didn't have the book Oath Breaker. WELL, now I do :) It was a gift from my dad. Awesome right? I can't bear to read more than a couple of chapters each time cos its the last book that I haven't read.**


	2. Chapter 2: Eostra Returns

**[A/N] Not much to say here, except Oath Breaker is awesome IEFISUHFKALO. Halfway through that book now. I was so sad when Bale died. He was my third fav character ;(**

Wolf loped across the plain, stopping once only to chew some delicious tree blood that was left by an elk. The scent was beginning to get stronger, making his tail hurt and his whiskers twitch. He remembered when the Bitten One had stomped on his tail. And _laughed._

Wolf raced on.

At last he began to slow down, warily moving forward. The stench of rottenness was so strong now that Wolf could snap at it. He sensed something behind a boulder and tensed, baring his teeth. A Child Demon sprang at Wolf, claws ready to sink into his flesh.

Wolf swiftly twisted out of the way, snapping and growling at the Child Demon. It dodged and roared angrily. Suddenly five more demons sprung at Wolf, clawing and biting at him. He tried to run out of the way, but one of the demons threw a Long Claw at him, forcing him to turn away.

Wolf was about to attack when a sharp pain pierced his side. He saw a Child Demon biting him, and it didn't let go. More demons threw themselves on him, using their Long Claws or teeth to hurt him. Wolf tried to shake them off, but failed. He regretted not alerting Tall tailless of the scent. Now he was going to be beaten.

Using his last amount of strength, Wolf howled desperately.

_Help pack-_

A net encased him in blackness, cutting off his howl.

...

Renn tried to keep up with Torak. He was walking as fast as he could, almost running. She could read the fear on his face, the fear of the unspeakable. Wolf was his closest friend since his father had died, and Renn understood that. He would be devastated if something happened to him.

But Renn had a distant look on her face. Why Wolf? Why now? And most importantly, who? Eostra and the Soul Eaters were defeated, and most of the demons had fled alongside. So what could have been attacking Wolf?

Torak continued walking, occasionally muttering something under his breath, relentlessly tracking Wolf. Renn had her Mage's sense to guide her, but sometimes she wished she didn't. Her uneasiness had grew the further they walked. Something bad was happening.

She could feel it in the air, in the rowan and birch trees. They were holding their breath. Waiting.

Torak stopped abruptly, causing her to walk into him. Renn peered at the forest floor and saw what he was looking at.

...

Torak studied the tracks intently. Wolf's long lopes slowed into a walk. He must have sensed something. Then additional footprints were found.

Small. Child-like.

With claws.

Tokoroth.

Torak's heart wrenched with fear. _They were dead! They were all dead!_ Or were they? Torak forced himself to concentrate on the tracks. He pictured the tokoroths leaping at Wolf, leaving a deep footprint in the muddy soil.

Wolf must have leaped out of the way, and tried to attack. More footprints appeared. Torak couldn't believe his eyes. 'How many were there?' said Renn, voicing out his thoughts. Torak guessed about...'Six.' Renn gasped in shock.

How could there be so many? 'We have to get back to the clans. Something bad must have happened. We need to warn them!' She cried.

'But what about Wolf?'

Renn paused. Her throat worked. 'We'll...we'll have to split up.'

Torak thought deeply, then nodded. He threw a nervous glance at Renn. She tried to smile reassuringly, but it twisted into a frown. They both knew this could be the last time they saw each other.

'Renn...' started Torak. He hesitated, and she saw that he was barely holding back tears. She walked over to him, and, before he could react, pulled him into a tight hug. 'I'll be back.' she murmured resting her head on his shoulder. Truth was, anything could happen, but she tried not to show her fear.

Torak stood stiffly in surprise, then relaxed and hugged her back. 'Be careful.' They released each other, both blushing softly. 'We'll meet at the place.' Torak decided, breaking the awkward silence. Renn nodded. 'The place' meant the area where she and Torak had made their first camp in the new forest, and now Wolf had claimed it as his new resting place for Darkfur and Pebble.

Renn's stomach twisted at the thought of Wolf. It'll be a long way back to the Raven clan, and she'd have to get a head start. She exchanged one final look at Torak, then set off, her bow clinking softly at her side.

...

_The juniper bush beside the girl and boy rustled slightly, but they were too caught up in their conversation to notice. Evil black eyes stared at the two as they pulled each other into a hug. The creature shuddered in disgust. Love. _

_It pulled back its teeth in a gruesome smile as they separated. Good... It'll make its hunt so much easier. I shall become the ruler of the living and dead. All shall fear me. Nobody can stop the mighty power of the Dark One. _

_Nobody could stop the power of Eostra._

_..._

Torak watched Renn leave, until she was a tiny red speck in the distance, and then was swallowed by the forest entirely. He sighed and bent down to continue tracking. The tracks showed that there was something big and wide, criss-crossed like a net...

Torak jumped as he heard a bush rustle. He looked around wildly, trying to calm his thumping heart. Then he exhaled. It was only a jack rabbit. Ignoring further rustles and disturbances, he fell into the familiar trance, focusing only on the prey and nothing else.

The kidnappers seemed to have dragged Wolf in the net for a distance, then the heavy footprints melted into a straight, long line occasionally interrupted by paws. Examining it in closer detail, he realized that the paws were smaller than a wolf's but bigger than a fox's, which, meant one thing.

Dogs.

A sickly feeling came to his stomach, and he tried to wave it away. But he couldn't stop the visions that overwhelmed him, vision of Eostra's ruthless pack, always hungry for blood and destruction... And all the while, Wolf had been with him, guiding him, protecting him.

He remembered the last time Wolf had disappeared. Taken by the Soul Eaters, narrowly avoided being sacrificed...

A flash of black, an Torak came face to face with a snarling girl. Her hair was matted, jerkin torn and muddy, and her nails...all black. In a heartbeat he sensed her hunger, her hatred. The only time he saw that kind of expression, so cold and uncaring that it sent shivers down his spine.

'_Eostra.'_

She lunged, and her nails morphed into claws that dug into his chest. Torak yelled and backed away, feeling the warm liquid staining his jerkin red. Pulling out the knife Fin-Kedinn made for him so long ago, he circled the wild Soul Eater.

Questions whirled in his head. _How_ is she still alive? And her appearance...

He dodged as she struck again, this time using her teeth as well. Torak caught the stench of rottenness, only alive to kill. Mad. This Eostra was different. Last time, she wanted his power, wanted to steal his World Soul to become a spirt walker and rule the Forest.

Now she only wanted to kill.

Revenge.

And Torak knew that feeling better than anyone else, when he set off to hunt Thiazzi, who murdered Bale. Revenge can consume. Revenge can make you powerful. Unstoppable.

The black haired girl renewed her attack, and the last thing he saw was her eyes, as dark as night.

**[A/N] Looks like the evil Soul Eater has made a comeback... Hope you enjoyed.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Bear Clan

**[A/N] Half way through Oath Breaker :)**

Renn shivered, and it wasn't just because of the coldness in the air. The day had been short, trekking through the Forest with only her bow and gear for company. She and Torak had split their supplies before parting, so she didn't have to hunt so soon.

Torak. She thought of the last time she had to travel alone, without him at her side. When he went of to hunt Thiazzi and in his vengeance, refused to listen to her pleads of coming to the Forest to warn the other clans of the Soul Eater.

Night was quickly approaching, the sky darkening as the amber sun faded over the canopy of trees. Renn choose a good spot for a shelter, a few paces away from a sturdy oak, and went about bending saplings and chopping wood to make a fire.

When it was done she laid in her sleeping sack, listening to the comforting crackle of the embers, and thinking of how it would feel to be back in the Open Forest. First, Renn would have to cross the High Mountains, then the Deep Forest to eventually reach. She felt an urge to keep walking through the night, but she knew that would be dangerous alone.

Rip and Rek settled down to roost on top of her shelter. Suddenly she heard them give a screech. Quork! _Danger!_ They flew off into the night and Renn sat up, nervously gripping her notched bow as she listened to the fading sounds of flapping wings. Slowly, she emerged from her shelter.

The dim glow from the fire did little to help her vision as she looked about wildly. A prickly feeling came over her as she stepped further out into the darkness. She heard a rustle in the nearby juniper bush and whipped around, bringing the bow and arrow to her shoulder in one motion. 'Who...who's there!'

The bush rustled once more, and a figure came into view. It was tall, and seemed to be one with the shadows, so Renn had a heard time making out the outline of the person. As it came into full view, Renn saw it was a girl, about 13 summers old, with matted hair and ripped clothes. Her hair and eyes were a jet black.

'Who are you? What's your name?' commanded Renn. The girl staggered out of the trees and slumped on the ground five paces from Renn. She looked worn and not much of a threat, but something told Renn that she should be wary of the new girl.

When she didn't move from the ground, Renn knelt and checked her face. She was still breathing, but covered in sweat and trembling slightly. Renn took pity on her and dragged her into the shelter. Inside, she made a broth of some roots and saxifrage, and gently poured it down the girl's throat.

She spluttered slightly, and her chest heaved. Renn sensed the worms of sickness eating away at her. She closed her eyes and performed a healing rite, and daubed the sick one's tongue with earth blood to draw out the sickness. The girl stopped coughing, and fell into a troubled slumber. Renn pulled in some bracken into the shelter and laid the girl's head on it.

The shelter was small for two people, but Renn was too tired to care. She wrapped herself in her sleeping sack and fell asleep, deciding to question the girl in the morning. Something filled her with mistrust, like she should be sleeping with this stranger, but she ignored it.

Renn awoke with a start. She shook the sleep from her head and wondered briefly where she was and why Torak wasn't by her side. Then she remembered last nights events and sat up quickly. The stranger was no where to be found, and Renn realized she had already woke up. Renn scrambled to her feet and noticed that her gear had been rifled through, but upon closer scrutiny she confirmed nothing was missing.

Emerging from the shelter, she spotted the girl not far from it, appearing to be searching for something. Renn walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. She whipped around, and noticing Renn for the first time, relaxed. The raven girl noticed that she didn't have any clan tattoos at all.

Renn caught sight of a flint knife, perfectly made and wrapped in deer hide and woven bark. It had a small amber stone embedded into its hilt, and the girl seemed to favor it as much as Renn did to her bow. The stranger caught sight of her looking at it and her hand closed over the hilt.

'It's okay, I won't take anything from you," Renn said gently. When the girl didn't reply, she asked, "What's your name then? And how did you end up in this part of the forest? Where's your clan tattoo?" The girl paused, and to Renn's surprise, smiled wryly. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

Renn blushed, slightly embarrassed at the fact. "Sorry, I'm just curious."

"Curious of me appearing suddenly in the middle of the night and collapsing in front of you?"

She nodded. The girl sighed. "Well, for starters, I'm Jess. And I didn't 'end up' in this forest. I grew up here." Renn's eyes widened. "I didn't know anybody lived here. Me and Tor-" she halted. Was is wise to let this girl know about her and Torak. Renn felt she could be trusted, but after her past experiences with the Soul-Eaters, she wasn't so sure.

"What's wrong? You and who?" questioned Jess. "Oh, just me and my two ravens... Rip and Rek."

Jess didn't look to convinced, but hearing Rip caw in the air, she decided not to pursue it. Renn realized that she hadn't told Jess her name. "Oh, and my name is-"

"Renn?" cut in Jess.

Renn's eyes widened in shock. 'How did you know?' she questioned, feeling slightly uneasy. 'Uh, I don't know,' spluttered Jess, trying to find an answer.

Renn narrowed her eyes. But she decided not to push it, and see how things planned out. She still had a mission to get back to Raven camp, and didn't want to get held up. 'Are you going back to your...clan?' Jess paused. 'I..I can't.'

'Why?'

'Um, I'm...actually...'

'What?'

'I'm an outcast.'

'…...oh,' said Renn. She saw Jess frown and look down. 'I don't have anywhere to go, they took my clan tattoos, and anyone I meet seems intent on killing me. Last night was an example. Chased by the ones that I thought were my _friends_.' Jess spat out the word like poison in her mouth. Renn thought of Torak, and her heart softened a little. 'You can come with me, if you like,' she offered.

'Really?' cried Jess, brightening up. 'I would love to! If you don't mind,' she added tentatively.

'Sure,' said the raven girl. 'But if you want to follow, we have to be quick. I'll tell you where we're going along the way.'

Torak groaned. He couldn't find the strength to stand, or to even open his heavy eyelids. _What happened?_ He felt hands on his body, lifting him into sitting position, and he forced his eyes to open. The sunlight blinded him, and as soon as his eyes adjusted he looked around wildly.

Torak appeared to be in a shelter, and two unfamiliar faces looked down at him in curiosity. He sensed they were friendly, although still wary around him. 'Where am I?' Torak tried, only to come out as a dry croak. The boy on the left turned and took a waterskin. 'Here,' he said gruffly, tipping it into Torak's dry mouth. He gulped the water down as if it was the best thing he tasted, and felt the strength slowly seeping into his limbs.

Torak tried to get up, but stumbled under the weight of his body. The girl on his right caught him just in time. 'Woah, boy, easy there. You haven't recovered enough yet.' Torak looked down, noticing for the first time that his jerkin was taken off, and his body was scarred in countless places, most wounds still bleeding.

As the girl put him back on the mat with a gentle but surprisingly strong grip, he remembered Eostra. 'She attacked me! She's back! We are all in danger! I must stop her once and for all!' he grunted, flailing his arms slightly. 'I know, I know, now calm down,' coaxed the boy. To the girl, he growled, 'It was her, alright. We chased her to the forest, then she disappeared.' She nodded grimly.

'I'm Joel, and this is Kiri. Were from Black bear clan. Who are you?' he introduced, raising his eyebrow.

'Black bear clan?' Torak frowned. 'There's no such thing! There's only brown and white. What's the difference, anyway?'

This time it was the two who frowned. 'No such thing? Well, what do you think this is then?' Joel emitted a low, feral rumbling sound deep in his throat. Seconds later, a huge bear shambled in. Torak gasped. It really was black. 'You...can speak bear?' he turned to Joel in wonder.

'No, not really. It just responds to my call.' he admitted.

Torak gazed at the towering bear. It's eyes gleamed with the wiseness of the World Spirit. 'What's it's name?' Torak breathed.

'Goku. He's a boy. We found him as a cub. It's mother was killed,' Kiri lowered her voice, 'by _her_.'

Torak shivered as a gust of wind blew into the shelter. He remembered those eyes, eyes full of lust for destruction.

'You're lucky we found you in time,' added Joel. 'She would have ripped you to pieces.'

'But...why was she...a...girl?' The last time Torak fought her, she had been a tall menacing creature that felt no emotion at all. The Eostra Torak just saw recently was a wild girl, dangerous, but not as cold and creepy. Torak saw Joel cast a look at his partner. They both seemed extremely uneasy.

'Well...' Joel began. He hung his head sadly, as if he couldn't bear to speak.

Instead, Kiri continued for him. 'There was once another one of us, a happy, joyful girl who was also our very best friend. Nothing seemed to faze her, and she was the best hunter in the forest.' She looked sick as she continued. 'Then the evil mage came, this time twice as a..._Spirit.' _Her voice dropped a octave. 'It is said that her soul was restless, too occupied to die. The First Tree rejected her, and she was banished to walk the earth as a harmless spirit, silent, constantly in torture, but never able to break out of the form she was in. Until just recently.'

'She came back.' Torak guessed.

'Yes.' confirmed Joel, who seemed to have recovered enough to speak. 'Came back from the spirit world, and somehow managed to..._posses _our once friend.'

'Like Tokoroths?' questioned Torak.

'Yes, but a hundred times worse. Eostra was such a powerful spirit that it was impossible to intrude a mere human without instantly killing the host. But..our friend was different.'

'She was the mage?' said Torak.

'Yes. The most powerful, they say. It was rumored that her mother was a Soul-Eater, Nef.'

Torak's shoulder sagged slightly as he remembered how the twisted Soul-Eater had sacrificed herself for Renn's own life. 'What's your friends name?' he asked quietly.

'We can't say. The clan perceives her dead, even though she's just possessed, so we're not allowed to say her name.' said Kiri sadly. Joel had remained silent all this time, but now he got up. 'We should go eat,' he suggested, voice low and gruff. He cast a glance at Torak. 'If you're well enough, you can follow us to eat. Or would you rather us fetching it for you?' he offered.

Torak got up painfully, and gasped as his injuries flared up. 'I...I can manage.' he wobbled and Joel caught him. 'Here. Lean on me.'

As Kiri left the shelter to inform the caln leader of Torak, Joel leaned his face towards Torak's.

'Jess. Her name's Jess.'

**[A/N] Hope you enjoyed. Quick note, 60 people viewed this story but only two actually reviewed it. Nobody favourited, either. I'm not complaining, I just need to know if people like it or not enough to continue.**


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